Our first full day

My first blog entry! (This is Jen) Today was our first full day in Mwandi. We spent it getting oriented (or re-oriented in my case!) and seeing people that I knew the last time I was here. It is both wonderful and strange to be back in this place that was home to me for 5 months 6 years ago. So much has changed for the better, and yet so much is still the same that it still feels like "home".

I can't even describe what it is like to see my dear friend Fiona's dreams put into reality in a Feeding Center that feeds 236 children a day in a beautiful fenced in facility with its own bakery and kitchen...and playground! Fiona has a wonderful office in the counseling center at the same facility. It was overwhelming how amazing that place is.

Last night I was overjoyed when the puppy Fiona and I had gotten while I was here came for a visit and seemed to recognize me! His name is Bucky. Today, even though he usually guards Fiona quite closely, he followed me and two other women home from the Feeding Program for lunch and waited outside the door until we left again. I was definitely touched and it was good to see the little guy again. :)

We visited the lab at the hospital where we spoke to my friend Heath, the head of the lab. So much has changed and improved! They now have several new lab machines and are able to do some very specific tests for HIV to help with determining treatment. When I was here there wasn't any treatment available and the only test they could do was an HIV test. A positive HIV test has now turned from a death sentence into a life changing one, managable with medicines.

"I guess today was its day"

We awoke in Mwandi this morning after getting a ride from the airport from Godfrey. Godfrey is a very nice man who helps out at the mission house doing various tasks.

I uploaded a few pictures I snapped around Livingstone. Definitely a very bustling little city. The market was especially entertaining. We stopped to buy some beverages so that we might enjoy a little drink at night. There's no ABC here...you just buy it off the sidewalk. Needless to say, this guy had a nice little display of everything you could possibly want.

That was after we spent 62000 kwacha on a pizza, which is about $12. It was pretty good. We had asked Godfrey if there was anywhere we could stop and get a bite to eat, and he took us to Subway. We opted for the pizza place next door instead.

The ride from Livingstone to Mwandi was about an hour. The road is paved now, which is a huge improvement over the last time Jen was here. We napped a bit during the ride. At one point, we saw a dog standing in the road. Most likely a semi-wild dog, as there are a lot of those around here that scavenge for food from the villagers. Anyway, this particular dog didn't really feel like moving from the road. Godfrey did everything he could to avoid it while still manuevering the vehicle very safely, but it was unavoidable. Sad to say it was the end of the road for that little fella. As Godfrey said, "I guess today was its day."

Touchdown in Zambia

Just letting everybody know that we've safely arrived in Zambia. We're waiting for our ride to get picked up from the airport. We'll write more tonight once we get settled in Mwandi.

A few London pics...

Just sitting here in London Heathrow waiting for our flight to Johannesburg. I uploaded a few pics of our brief stay in London at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/2jslagle/Africa2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCNGU0Mv4tpHDKw#

London, UK

We successfully made it to London on a pretty uneventful flight. We've taken in a few sites here in London. We saw the Eye of London and Big Ben from a distance. We also visited Tower Bridge and Tower of London. According to a distant relative, I may have once had an ancestor imprisoned in the Tower of London...I'm not sure if that's something to be proud of or not.

Right now, we've just enjoyed some fish and chips and a few pints in a pub here right on the Thames river...very relaxing as we prepare for quite a long flight.

Also, apparently London has a great subway system...too bad half the stations are closed on Sunday.

Packed for Africa

Hey folks, we're all packed for Africa and are really excited to be heading out tomorrow. Needless, to say, we'll need to get a new picture for our blog. Stay tuned for more updates.

We'll be posting pictures here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/2jslagle/Africa2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCNGU0Mv4tpHDKw#